Cover positioning apparatus



J I I w l I A -M UI Dec. 24,1957 c. H. BENOIT 2,817,274

COVER POSITIONING APPARATUS Filed April 22, 1953' 4 s Sheets-She et 1 rI I r -IIIIIJIIZI J A i T m A4425 i WM 5 a Dec. 24, 1957 c. H. BENOIT.,8

1 COVER POSITIONING APPARATUS Filed April 22, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet 2 .334.52 I 37 .594 v l INVENTOR.

Dec. 24, 1957 c. H. BENOIT 2,817,274

COVER POSITIONING APPARATUS Filed April 22, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

COVER POSITIDNING APPARATUS Charles H. Benoit, Hollywood, Ill.Application April 22, 1953, Serial No. 350,388 8 Claims. (Cl. 94-35)This invention relates to a positioning apparatus for use in conjunctionwith a panel or cover to position the latter in overlying, close-offrelation with respect to the entrance for an access or passageway formedeither beneath the floor or ground, behind a wall, or above a cellmg.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide an apparatus whichwill effectively lock the cover in a closeofi relation with respect tothe entrance to the access or passageway and, when in such relation,will be disposed in a flush relation with respect to the exposed surfaceof the member in which said entrance is formed.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus whichis adapted to recede into the access or passageway and then be readilymoved laterally within the access or passageway to effect anunobstructed entrance thereto.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus whichmay be readily moved into and out of close-off relation with respect tothe access or passageway and, when in close-off relation presents a neatand attractive appearance and will safely remain in such close-offrelation even though the panel or cover is subjected :to a heavy load.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an apparatuswhich is simple and compact in construction, effective in operation, andinexpensive to produce.

Further and additional objects will appear from the description,accompanying drawings, and appended claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention an apparatus isprovided comprising the combination of an apertured member having a pairof eomplemental jaws adjustably mounted thereon and an elongated sleevedisposed intermediate said jaws and in registration with one of theapertures of said member and movable in an axial direction and rotatableindependently of said member. An elongated shaft is slidably androtatably mountedwithin the sleeve, and when said shaft is in oneposition of slidable adjustment, the sleeve and shaft may be rotated asa unit. A jaw-actuating element is rotatably mounted on the aperturedmember and is operatively connected to the sleeve and jaws, whereby,upon rotation of said sleeve, said element will effect movement of saidjaws into or out of gripping relation with respect to the outerperiphery of said sleeve.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference should bemade to the drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary top plan view of a floor having an accessformed therebeneath and showing a cover disposed in close-off relationwith respect to the entrance to said access;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view'taken along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. '3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. l,but showing the cover in a retracted position;

Fig. 4 is an enlargedfragmentary sectional view "taken along line 4-4 ofFig. 2;

2,817,234 Patented Dec. 24, 1957 Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentarysectional view taken along line 55 of Fig. 4; V

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portionof the positioning apparatus showing the jaws thereof in a releasedposition;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8--8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 99 of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is similar to Fig. released position.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figs. 1 through4, an access or passageway is shown, in this instance, formed beneath aconcrete or cement floor 21. Disposed within the access 20 is apositioning apparatus 22 which is adapted to have a portion thereofeffect closing mi of the entrance 23 to the access, when desired. Thepositioning apparatus 22 is mounted within a framework 24, the latterhaving a portion 25 thereof disposed in registration with the entrance23 to the ac cess 2t and a second portion 26 disposed within a laterallyextending cavity 20a formed in access 20, as seen more clearly in Fig.2. The laterally extending portion 26 is in the form of spacedsubstantially parallel, guide members 26a and 26b. Each of these guidemembers is provided with an outwardly extending flange 27 which isadapted to be embedded within the sides of the access, and a secondflange 28 extending inwardly toward each other and providing a trackupon which a base member 30, forming a part of the positioningapparatus, is slidably mounted. The positioning apparatus 22, as seenmore clearly in Fig. 5 comprises the base member 30 which is supportedby flanges 28 of the framework 24, and an elongated sleeve 31operatively connected to base member 30 and adapted to move axially andto rotate independently of said base member. Axially positioned withinthe center bore of sleeve 31 is an elongated shaft 32. Adjustablymounted on base member 30 and disposed on opposite sides of said sleeveand movable relative to the sleeve 31 and member 30 is a pair ofcomplemental jaws 33a and 33b which, when in gripping relation, areadapted to engage the outer periphery of the sleeve 31. Disposed abovejaws 33a and 33b and mounted for rotation on member 30 is a cam plate34, which is operatively connected to each of the jaws and is adapted toeffect simultaneous adjustment of said jaws into and out of grippingrelation with respect to the sleeve 31 upon rotation of said cam plate.

The base member 3!} is provided with a substantially centrally disposedopening 35 which is of such circumference as to enable the sleeve 31 toreadily move axially relative thereto when the jaws are in non-grippingrelation. In the construction, shown in the drawings, a relatively smallmetal plate 30 is rigidly mounted by bolts 30" on the upper surface ofthe member 30 adjacent the opening 35 thereof. The plate 30' serves as areinforcement for member 39, when the latter is formed of wood or someother similar type of material. In instances, however, where member 30is constructed of metallic material, the reinforcing plate 30 may beomitted, and the elongated slots 36a and 36b formed in plate 30' may beformed directly in the base member 30 instead. The linear elongatedslots 36a and 36b are diametrically disposed with respect to the centeropening 35' formed in plate 30'. Openings 35 and 35' are disposed incoincident relation. Each of the slots 36a and 36b is adapted toaccommodate the shank 37' of an elongated threaded screw or stud 37which is threaded at one end into the underside of the adjacent jaw 33aor 33b and extends angularly downwardly therefrom. The threaded studs 37are provided with enlarged heads 37a which are adapt- 9 but showing thejaws in a ed to be disposed within cut-outs 39a and 39b formed in member30. Slots 36a and 36b cause studs 37 and the corresponding jaws totravel in a linear direction when the jaws are moved into and out ofgripping relation.

The gripping surface 38 of each of the jaws 33a and 33b is serrated andis adapted to mesh with the serrated periphery 40 of the sleeve 31. Whenthe jaws 33a and 3317 are in meshing relation with the periphery 40 ofsleeve 31, the latter is free to rotate relative to the base member 30but is prevented from moving in an axial direction. Extending upwardlyfrom each of the jaws is a stud 41 or 42. The studs 41 and 42 areadapted to travel within arcuate slots 43 and 44, respectively, formedin cam plate 34, see Figs. 9 and 10. The cam plate 34, in this instance,is annular in shape and is provided with a center opening 45 throughwhich the sleeve 31 extends and is adapted to freely move in an axialdirection. Mounted on cam plate 34 and having a portion thereofextending into opening 45 is a key 46 which is adapted to be disposedwithin a longitudinally extending groove or keyway 47 formed in theouter periphery of sleeve 31. The elongated groove 47 extendssubstantially the full longitudinal length of the sleeve 31 and issubstantially parallel with respect to the axis of said sleeve. The camplate 34 is adapted to rotate about a fixed axis by reason of the factthat diametrically opposed portions of the outer periphery of the plateare engaged by a pair of bearing brackets 48 which are mounted on andextend upwardly from the plate 30. The arcuate grooves 43 and 44, whichaccommodate studs 41 and 42, respectively, have their centers ofcurvature eccentrically disposed with respect to the axis of rotation ofthe cam plate 34 and offset with respect to one another. Thus, as thecam plate 34 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in Fig.9, the studs 41 and 42 as they travel in grooves 43 and 44 cause thejaws 33a and 33b, respectively, to be actuated outwardly into open orrelease relation with respect to the outer serrated periphery of sleeve31. On the other hand, when cam plate 34 is rotated in a clockwisedirection from the position shown in Fig. 10, the studs 41 and 42 asthey travel in grooves 43 and 44 are forced inwardly from the center ofrotation of the cam plate and in turn cause the jaws to assume agripping position. The cam plate 34 is rotated in either a clockwise orcounterclockwise direction by the sleeve 31 through keyway or groove 47and key 46. How sleeve 31 is rotated will be explained more fullyhereinafter.

Afiixed to the lower end of sleeve 31 and extending downwardly is anannular collar 50. Formed in the underside of collar 50 is a pair ofnotches 51 disposed in diametrically opposed relation. The notches 51are adapted to accommodate a transversely extending stud or pin 52affixed to the lower end of shaft 32, when said shaft is raised to itsfullest extent relative to the sleeve 31. When the pin 52 is positionedwithin the notches 51, the shaft 32 and sleeve 31 may be rotated as aunit about the longitudinal centerline of the sleeve as an axis. It willbe noted that the ends of the pin 52 protrude outwardly beyond theperiphery of collar 50 thereby providing a handle whereby the sleeve 31may be rotated by a person working within the access beneath theframework 24. The upper end of the sleeve 31 is reduced in size and isprovided with a threaded periphery for engagement with a washer 53, thelatter being rotatably mounted within a recess 54 formed in theunderside of a cover or panel 55. The washer 53 is held within therecess 54 by a retaining ring 56 which is secured by screws 56' or thelike to the underside of the cover or panel 55, as seen more clearly inFig. 5. The cover or panel has a shape which corresponds to the contourof the entrance 23 to the access or passageway 20. The cover is formedof wood, metal, or the like and is provided with a center opening 57which is adapted to accommodate the upper end portion of the shaft 32and to 4 allow the shaft to move axially therein. Afiixed to the upperend of shaft 52 is a cross or T-shaped handle 58 which, when the shaftis retracted into the sleeve 31, is adapted to be positioned within arecess 60 formed in the upper surface of the cover 55. Thus, when theshaft is retracted, the handle 58 will assume a flush relation withrespect to the exposed surface of the cover or panel 55. The exposedsurface of the cover 55 is provided with a recessed margin 60 which isadapted, when the cover is in a close-off relation, to accommodate theinwardly extending lip 61 formed on the framework portion 25 at theentrance 23 to the access or passageway 20. By reason of the recessedmargin 60, the cover 55, may assume a coplanar relation with respect tothe exposed surface of the floor 21 adjacent the entrance 23. Thus, whenthe entrance is closed, no obstruction is caused to the exposed surfaceof the flooring by the cover or panel 55, thereby eliminating a possiblehazard to persons walking or running over the closed entrance.

To operate the positioning apparatus, the following steps are suggested:(a) assuming that the cover 55 is in close-off position with respect tothe entrance 23, the handle 58 of the shaft 32 is grasped and the shaftpulled upwardly to a position A, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3,whereupon the pin 52 formed in the lower end of shaft 32 will engage thenotches 51 formed in the depending collar 50 of sleeve 31; (b) thehandle is then twisted in a counterclockwise direction until the jaws33a and 33b release their hold on the outer periphery of sleeve 31; (c)with the jaws in released position, the cover 55, shaft 32, and sleeve31 may be retracted into the access until the underside of the cover 55engages the studs 41 and 42 formed on the jaws 33a and 33b,respectively, see Fig. 3; (d) when the cover or panel 55 is fullyretracted to the position, shown in Fig. 3, both the cover 55 and basemember 30 and the parts associated therewith may be slidably moved tothe position B, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 disposed within cavity20a; and (e) with the cover and base member in position B, as shown inFig. 3, the interior of the access or passageway 20 is unobstructed andreadily accessible. To reposition the cover to a close-off position withrespect to the entrance 23 of the access, the steps (a) and (e)heretofore noted should be followed in reverse order.

Thus it will be seen that a positioning apparatus has been providedwhich is adapted to close off accesses or passageways positioned eitherbeneath a floor or underground, behind a wall, or above a ceiling.Furthermore when the cover is in close-off position, the exposed surfaceof the cover assumes a coplanar relation with respect to the exposedsurface of the floor, wall, or ceiling adjacent the entrance to theaccess, and thereby improves the appearance of the exposed surface ofthe floor, wall, or ceiling. The improved positioning apparatus enablesthe entrance to the access or passageway to be readily opened oruncovered without requiring the cover to be removed from the access andis adapted to positively and safely remain in closed position once ithas been moved thereto regardless of the load carried by the cover.

While a particular embodiment of this invention is shown above, it willbe understood, of course, that the invention is not to be limitedthereto, since many modifications may be made, and it is contemplated,therefore, by the appended claims, to cover any such modifications asfall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. The combination of an apertured member having a pair of complementaljaws adjustably mounted thereon and provided with cooperating grippingsurfaces, an elongated sleeve disposed intermediate said jaw-cooperatinggripping surfaces and in registration with one of the apertures of saidmember and movable in an axial direction and rotatable independently ofsaid member, a cover member carried by said sleeve, an elongated shaftslidably and rotatably mounted within said sleeve, means mounted on saidshaft'and cooperatingwith said sleeve to efiect unitary rotary movementof said sleeve and shaft only when said shaft is in one relativeposition of slidable adjustment with respect to said sleeve, a rotatablejaw-actuating element carried on said member and operatively connectedto said jaws, said element being provided with an opening through whichsaid sleeve passes, and means mounted on saidactuating element andengaging said sleeve whereby said actuating element and sleeve rotate asa unit and effect adjustment of said jaws into or out of grippingrelation with respect to the outer periphery of said sleeve.

2. The combination of an apertured member having a pair of complementaljaws adjustably mounted thereon and provided with cooperating grippingsurfaces, an elongated sleeve disposed intermediate said jaw-cooperatinggripping surfaces and in registration with one of the apertures of saidmember, said sleeve being movable in an axial direction and rotatableindependently of said member and being provided with an elongatedlongitudinally extending peripheral groove, 21 cover member carried bysaid sleeve, an elongated shaft slidably and rotatably mounted withinsaid sleeve, means mounted on said shaft and cooperating with saidsleeve to effect unitary rotary movement of said sleeve and shaft onlywhen said shaft is in one relative position of slidable adjustment withrespect to said sleeve and a rotatable apertured jaw-actuat ing elementcarried on said member and encompassing said sleeve, said element havinga portion thereof slidably disposed within the peripheral groove formedon said sleeve to effect unitary rotary movement of said sleeve andelement, said element being operatively connected to each of saidcomplemental jaws whereby upon rotation of said element in one directionsaid jaws are actuated into gripping relation with said sleeve and, uponrotation of said element in the opposite direction, said jaws areactuatedout of gripping relation with said sleeve.

3. The combination of an apertured member having a pair of complementaljaws provided with cooperating gripping surfaces mounted thereon andmovable relative thereto in a lineardirection toward and away from eachother, an elongated sleeve disposed intermediate said jaws and inregistration with one of the apertures of said member, said sleeve beingmovable in an axial direction and rotatable independently of said memberand having a collar affixed to the end of said sleeve extending throughsaid member aperture, said collar having an edge thereof provided with anotch, a cover member carried by and disposed adjacent the opposite endof said sleeve, an elongated shaft slidably and rotatably mounted withinsaid sleeve, the end of said shaft adjacent the collared end of saidsleeve having a protuberance extending transversely therefrom andadapted to seat within the notch formed in said collar when said shaftassumes one position of slidable adjustment relative to said sleeve,whereupon said shaft and sleeve are rotatable as a unit, and a rotatablejaw-actuating element carried on said member and encompassing saidsleeve and being rotatable as a unit with the latter, said element beingoperatively connected to each of said jaws whereby, upon rotation ofsaid element, said jaws are simultaneously moved either toward or awayfrom each other.

4. The combination of a pair of apertured members arranged insubstantially superimposed relation, one of said members being movablein a linear direction relative to the second member, and a mechanismcooperating with both of said members for locking said movable member invarious selected positions with respect to said second member; saidmechanism comprising an elongated sleeve rotatably mounted on one ofsaid members and extending angularly therefrom and through an apertureformed in the other member, an elongated shaft slidably and rotatablymounted within said sleeve, means mounted on said shaft and cooperatingwith said sleeve to effect unitary rotary movement of said sleeve andshaft only when the latter is in one position of slidable adjustmentwith respect to said sleeve, a pair of jaws disposed on opposite sidesof said sleeve and mounted on said other member for movement into andout of gripping relation with respect to said sleeve, and rotatablejaw-actuating means carried on said other member and operativelyconnected to said sleeve and jaws whereby said sleeve and means rotateas a unit and effect movement of said jaws into and out of grippingrelation, said sleeve being movable in a linear direction relative tosaid means when said sleeve is not gripped by said jaws.

5. The combination of a pair of apertured members arranged insubstantially superimposed relation, one of said members being movablein a linear direction relative to the second member, and a mechanismcooperating with both of said members for locking said movable member invarious selected positions with respect to said second member; saidmechanism comprising an elongated sleeve rotatably mounted on one ofsaid members and extending angularly therefrom and through an apertureformed in the other member, an elongated shaft slidably and rotatablymounted within said sleeve, means mounted on said shaft and cooperatingwith said sleeve to efiect unitary rotary movement of said sleeve andshaft only when the latter is in one position of slidable adjustmentwith respect to said sleeve, a pair of jaws disposed on opposite sidesof said sleeve and mounted on said other member for movement into andout of gripping relation with respect to said sleeve, and a rotatableapertured jawactuating element, through which said sleeve extends,carried on said other member and operatively connected to said sleevewhereby said sleeve and element rotate as a unit and said sleeve, whennot gripped by said jaws, is free to move in an axial direction relativeto said element, said element being provided with a pair of arcuateslots having the centers of curvature thereof eccentrically disposedwith respect to the axis of rotation of said element and offset withrespect to one another, each of said arcuate slots accommodating aportion of a jaw.

6. The combination of a pair of apertured members arranged insubstantially superimposed relation and having one of said membersmovable in a linear direction toward and away from the other member, anda mechanism cooperating with said members for locking said movablemember in various selected relative positions with respect to saidsecond member; said mechanism comprising an elongated sleeve mounted forrotation on one of said members and extending angularly therefrom andthrough an aperture formed in the other member, said sleeve beingprovided with an axial bore disposed in registered relation with one ofthe apertures of the member to which it is attached, said sleeve havinga serrated outer periphery and a groove formed therein disposed inspaced substantially parallel relation with respect to the axial bore ofthe sleeve and having a length corresponding to the axial length of saidsleeve, an elongated shaft slidably and rotatably mounted within thebore of said sleeve, said shaft having a handle formed on one endthereof for imparting rotation to said shaft, means mounted transverselyon said shaft and spaced from said handle and engageable with saidsleeve to effect unitary rotation of said shaft and sleeve only whensaid shaft is in one position of slidable adjustment with respect tosaid sleeve, a pair of cooperating jaws mounted on said other member forsimultaneous adjustment into and out of gripping relation with saidsleeve, said jaws having the surfaces thereof, contacting said sleeve,serrated to effect meshing relation between the outer periphery of saidsleeve and said jaws when the latter are in gripping relation, and anapertured jaw-actuating element, through which said sleeve extends,carried by said other member, said element having an inwardly protrudingportion disposed within the groove formed in said sleeve whereby onlythe rotary motion of said sleeve is transmitted to said element, saidelement being provided with a pair of arcuate slots, the centers ofcurvature of which are eccentrically disposed with respect to the axisof rotation of said element, one of said arcuate slots accommodating aportion of one of said jaws whereby, upon rotation of said element inone direction, the jaws are simultaneously moved into gripping relationwith said sleeve, and upon rotation of said element in the oppositedirection, the jaws are simultaneously moved out of gripping relation.

7. The combination of a pair of apertured plates arranged insubstantially superimposed relation, one of said plates being movable ina linear direction toward and away from the other plate, and a mechanismoperatively connected to both of said plates for locking said movableplate in various selective positions with respect to said other plate;said mechanism comprising an elongated sleeve mounted angularly on saidmovable plate and retatable independently thereof and having a portionthereof projecting through an opening formed in the relatively fixedplate, said sleeve being provided with an axial bore disposed inregistered relation with respect to an aperture formed in said movableplate and an elongated groove formed in the periphery of said sleeve anddisposed in spaced substantially parallel relation with respect to saidaxial bore and extending substantially the full axial length of saidsleeve, an elongated shaft slidably and rotatably mounted within theaxial bore of said sleeve, means mounted on said shaft and cooperatingwith said sleeve for effecting unitary rotational movement of saidsleeve and shaft only when the latter is in one position of slidableadjustment with respect to said shaft, a pair of jaws disposed onopposite sides of said sleeve and mounted on said relatively fixed platefor movement into and out of gripping relation with respect to saidsleeve, and an elongated jaw-actuating element, through which saidsleeve extends, carried on said relatively fixed plate and beingoperatively connected to said jaws, said element having an inwardlyextending portion disposed within the groove formed in said sleevewhereby said sleeve and actuating element rotate as a unit, rotation ofsaid actuating element in one direction effecting movement of said jawsinto gripping relation and, rotation of said element in the oppositedirection, effecting movement of said jaws out of gripping relation.

8. The combination of a base structural member having a first passagewayformed therein and extending substantially normal to the exposed surfaceof said member and a second passageway communicating with said firstpassageway and extending transversely therefrom, a cover plate for saidfirst passageway retractably mounted therein, said cover plate beingprovided with an apertured portion, and an adjustable mechanism mountedwithin said structural member passageway for locking, when in oneposition of adjustment, said cover plate in a close-off nonretractableposition with respect to said first passageway and in flush relationwith respect to the exposed surface of said structural member; saidmechanism including a track mounted within said second passageway andextending transversely into said first passageway, an aperturedsupporting plate resting on said track and slidable with respectthereto, an elongated sleeve mounted on the consealed surface of saidcover plate and in registered relation with respect to the aperturedportion of said cover plate and rotatable about its longitudinal axis,said sleeve extending angularly from said cover plate and through anaperture formed in said supporting plate, said sleeve being providedwith a longitudinally extending groove formed in the outer peripherythereof and extending substantially the full length of said sleeve, anelongated shaft retractably mounted within said sleeve and adapted whenin extended relation with respect to said sleeve to effect unitaryrotation of said shaft and sleeve, a pair of jaws mounted on saidsupporting plate for adjustment into and out of gripping relation withrespect to the outer periphery of said sleeve, said jaws, when ingripping relation, locking said cover plate in a fixed relation withrespect to said supporting plate, and a rotatable jaw-actuating elementcarried on said supporting plate and in a position intermediate saidcover and supporting plates and operatively connected to each of saidjaws to effect relative movement of the latter upon rotation of saidelement, said actuating element encompassing said sleeve and beingprovided with a portion extending into the groove formed in said sleevewhereby said sleeve and actuating element rotate as a unit, yet saidsleeve is movable in an axial direction independently of said actuatingelement.

No references cited.

